Chico schools will see more math added to graduation requirements

CHICO — Math offerings and graduation requirements are going to be changing in Chico high schools, but precisely how the program will be implemented won't be known for at least several months.

On Wednesday, the Chico Unified School District board of trustees discussed in general terms how the new math classes, grad requirements and potential courses will be determined.

The discussion of math classes on the high school level has been spurred by change in admissions requirements at both the University of California and the California State University systems.

Both systems will be requiring that high school applicants have completed three years of math.

In a document provided to the trustees John Bohannon, CUSD director of alternative education, said besides the university requirements, stated, "Most other high schools in our area have already, or soon will, make three years of math a graduation requirement."

This was the second time the trustees had discussed the topic and at the earlier meeting Bohannon had been directed to investigate how a three-year math program could be created.

He told the board he wanted to create a team of math teachers with representatives from Chico High School, Pleasant Valley High School and Fair View High School, as well as one or more of the junior high schools.

The members of the team would meet for two days a month and would be tasked to review what sort of math classes could be offered to add to the existing programs.

Members of the board observed not all of their graduates are college-bound, but that doesn't mean the additional math class couldn't be of value.

Liz Griffin, president of the CUSD board of trustees, said the new math classes need to meet the needs of students who struggle in mathematics, students in special education, people who are going into technical careers, as well as those going to college.

Debbie Rosenow, chair of the math department at Pleasant Valley High School, said she likes the idea that the potential future programs will be discussed in a relatively small group and then be taken to all of the high school-level math teachers in the district. She said that approach creates "flexibility" in the effort.

Bohannon also has surveyed state-designed "similar" schools to those in Chico to see what they are offering in math.

Kaiser said she would like to get a report by November or December on what sort of things the district's "math team" is coming up with.

The trustees voted unanimously to approve the creation of the team and to require the report later in the year.

Bohannon said the new math program should go into effect in the 2015-16 academic year, so it will be in place during the junior year of the Class of 2017.